Golf Instruction - Overload

[dcorun]

I know this has probably been brought up before but, does anybody else feel like we are being given way too much advice. TV, email, YouTube, etc. Strong grip, no neutral grip, feet pointing at 11 and 1, no 10 & 2 for seniors, closed stance for distance no, straight stance just roll the forearms, point clubface to right for a draw no, aim left and keep clubface square and on and on. Don't forget the special you get for these lessons, not $79.95, it's been reduced to $39.95. I took 3 lessons from a University of Maryland golf coach for the basics when I took up golf some 30+ years ago. The rest I taught myself but, at that time it was pretty standard. If you've read this whole thing let me know how you feel. Thanks and Happy New Year to MGS and all the members out there.

[PlaidJacket]

I don't really pay much attention to golf instruction from TV, internet, magazines, friends, etc., etc. Everyone is $elling advice.

I do "purchase" advice from my instructor/pro 4-5 times a year. He knows me and my game and we work together well. I find that by visiting him off and on throughout the year he keeps my swing in check and spots where I'm out of position. It's the little things that make the difference for me. Call my sessions with him tune-ups.

 

Since you haven't had any real lessons/coaching in 30 years you might want to think about it. Just saying.

[BIG STU]

Yep there is absolutely too much golf instruction out there today!  It is everywhere. I know several examples where folks I know look at listen to and asorb every swing tip that comes along. They get so mixed up they can not get the club back. I do not look at or listen to any of it period.

 

IMHO If someone seeks golf instruction one needs to find a local instructor and listen to he/she and go from there. One gets too many swing thoughts and their mind gets cluttered. I have always been of the school of thought that there is no one set correct way for one to swing at the ball or play the game

[cksurfdude]

Another voice in agreement. Lotta noyze out there......

 

I do watch the GC from time to time - ya never know when someone there just might happen to drop a nugget - but ....... if you listen carefully you may see .. over time .. that you may actually be receiving *conflicting* advice....

 

I do sometimes look at the mag's, and also - not YouTube, but golf-related apps on my Roku - video clips with tips.

 

I do find all these things interesting (from a student-observer point of view) but - no - I do not run right out to the range to try them all. And certainly not out on the course.

 

I had a great coaching sesh earlier this year with a friend who was a playing pro. He gave me two simple, straightforward things to work on (grip and takeaway) and I'm *still* working to ingrain those elements into my swing / game.

[cnosil]

I generally avoid searching for playing advice online.  While each individual solution may help someone, if I don't have that problem it isn't going to help me.    I work with golf instructors both online and local that can help me to help me diagnose my problem or give me drills to keep things in check.   

 

Applying the wrong fix will not help your golf game.  Stick to the professionals.  

[Kenny B]

They have to make some money somehow, since they are not coaching Tiger anymore! 

[ole gray]

Yep there is absolutely too much golf instruction out there today!  It is everywhere. I know several examples where folks I know look at listen to and asorb every swing tip that comes along. They get so mixed up they can not get the club back. I do not look at or listen to any of it period.

 

IMHO If someone seeks golf instruction one needs to find a local instructor and listen to he/she and go from there. One gets too many swing thoughts and their mind gets cluttered. I have always been of the school of thought that there is no one set correct way for one to swing at the ball or play the game

 

What gets me are those swing coaches in your foursome that see you struggling and immediately start throwing out advice.  Hell I've had guys try to get me to totally change my swing plane on the fly.  I know when I'm swinging too flat....   The intentions are good however keep it to yourself unless asked. Folks don't need to be trying to fix shat on the golf course.  Let the poor soul try all this new stuff on a range and then only when they ask for help.

[Liberty Ball Markers]

Just thank them for taking a 2 stroke penalty for offering advice during the round. They usually shut up...

 

 

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[revkev]

I agree with Plaid and Stu, find a local pro and see him/her once a year or so for tune ups.

 

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[EthanSterlingPrice]

My golf advice filter is set very strict. For me it's pretty much just the pro I take lessons from, my father, and there are a couple of fellas I play with at my course that know what they're talking about who I listen to on occasion. I try to avoid golf media for anything outside of entertainment, but I do know people who "learned to play" from those media outlets and actually can play pretty decent. Overall though I definitely agree on the instruction overload.

 

 

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[StrokerAce]

Big Stu brings up a good point on "getting stuck/lost" when you stand over the ball.  If you've got so many thoughts going on in your head and you don't just act naturally there's no telling what's going to happen.  And, say you do hit a great shot - how are you going to remember exactly what it was you did/thought of when it happened so you can repeat it!

Question though - how many (if any) swing thoughts do you have when over the ball?  1, 2, none?  Could be something like not gripping the club too tight or getting a full hip turn or keeping the club on plane or...?

[cnosil]

I generally will have 1 swing thought when over the ball. It is generally related to how I am hitting the ball that day. It would be something like smooth temp, pause at the top., 3/4 backswing, etc

[cksurfdude]

Big Stu brings up a good point on "getting stuck/lost" when you stand over the ball. If you've got so many thoughts going on in your head and you don't just act naturally there's no telling what's going to happen. And, say you do hit a great shot - how are you going to remember exactly what it was you did/thought of when it happened so you can repeat it!

 

Question though - how many (if any) swing thoughts do you have when over the ball? 1, 2, none? Could be something like not gripping the club too tight or getting a full hip turn or keeping the club on plane or...?

Either Nick Faldo or Nick Price, can't recall which but just happened to catch his comment on GC, has what may be the .. dare I say "perfect" .. single swing thought:

 

"Butts to Buttons"

 

1. Takeaway/Backswing = get your butt facing the target

and,

2. Downswing/Follow-Thru = get your shirt buttons facing the target

 

Yes, these are _positions_ but to me it says he's focusing entirely on the MOVEMENTS (and tempo).

[cnosil]

This is my problem with using statements like that. If you take them as they are, you could be creating other issues. The second comment would tend to make me turn the upper body before the lower and cause an over the top move. When I get out of sequence that is my swing flaw

[StrokerAce]

I think the one word that comes to my mind when playing is tempo.

 

Tempo in golf is similar to many other sports as well...

- a basketball player needs good tempo to make free throws (especially under pressure)

- a hitter in baseball needs good tempo to make a good swing on the ball

- a bowler needs good tempo to get the final strike for that 300 game

 

If I can concentrate on not going to fast or too slow at any point during the swing - whether it be putting, chipping, driving, etc. - then I at least have a chance at success.  

[ole gray]

I think the one word that comes to my mind when playing is tempo.

 

Tempo in golf is similar to many other sports as well...

- a basketball player needs good tempo to make free throws (especially under pressure)

- a hitter in baseball needs good tempo to make a good swing on the ball

- a bowler needs good tempo to get the final strike for that 300 game

 

If I can concentrate on not going to fast or too slow at any point during the swing - whether it be putting, chipping, driving, etc. - then I at least have a chance at success.  

 

 

Yep tempo is the key to getting er done....   I always hit my shots better with a slow backswing and swinging down the line on my follow through.

[Kenny B]

Yep tempo is the key to getting er done....   I always hit my shots better with a slow backswing and swinging down the line on my follow through.

I think someone said to swing like you talk.  You must have a slow drawl.   

[ole gray]

I think someone said to swing like you talk.  You must have a slow drawl.   

 

LOL yup you have to take that thang back like ya sucking on a good swig bourbon.  You turn it up too fast and you miss the flavor.

[cksurfdude]

This is my problem with using statements like that. If you take them as they are, you could be creating other issues. The second comment would tend to make me turn the upper body before the lower and cause an over the top move. When I get out of sequence that is my swing flaw

Valid point. But I look at it more as "checkpoints" that you want to move into, vs a string of mechanical thoughts such as 'OK now rotate the hips 35° followed by a shoulder turn a full 180 while keeping the shaft pointing down the target line and holding the lead wrist so its....(etc etc.)...'

 

My take on it is: make sure you complete a full turn back and then complete a full turn through.

 

Movements ... not a million separate "swing keys".

 

An instructor I'd seen early on echoed this - he said the golf swing is a "winding up followed by an unwinding".

 

Oh, just remembered - Nick (Price or Faldo, still can't remember that bit...) was commenting on a video showing him making a spectacular pitch shot .. not a drive or other full shot .. to clinch some big tourney!

 

Anyway, CN -

That vid you'd posted of your swing looks like you're doing pretty nicely on getting everything synced up!!!

[cnosil]

Valid point. But I look at it more as "checkpoints" that you want to move into, vs a string of mechanical thoughts such as 'OK now rotate the hips 35° followed by a shoulder turn a full 180 while keeping the shaft pointing down the target line and holding the lead wrist so its....(etc etc.)...'

 

Checkpoints are fine.   Tying back to the topic of the thread,  there are 100 ways to fix a slice and it seems like every magazine, website, blog has the answer for you.  The problem is that if you pick the wrong fix you will go more damage to your swing.  

 

Anyway, CN -

That vid you'd posted of your swing looks like you're doing pretty nicely on getting everything synced up!!!

 

Thanks.   My swing is pretty good although I do have a tendency to get out of sequence and feel like I can't make good contact.   

[cksurfdude]

 

 

Tying back to the topic of the thread, there are 100 ways to fix a slice and it seems like every magazine, website, blog has the answer for you.

And don't forget to add in the latest whizmo gizmo instant cure-all - be it a training aid or online training program or a new gee-whiz club - being advertised.....

 

 

The problem is that if you pick the wrong fix you will go more damage to your swing.

Def agree there! Fortunately for me I listened to a friend who was helping me out when I first started .. he warned me there was a lot of confusing and misleading "stuff" out there on that internet.

[Gogolf]

Definitely agree! There's so much information out there and it's hard to discern between helpful/not-so-helpful advice. I stopped subscribing to the major golf publications for this reason, because it felt like I was switching to a new putting/full swing technique with each monthly publication.

 

Something that helped me a lot is just eliminating the noise by unsubscribing to publications and whittling down to a few trusted sources that are online/offline that I commit to and trust 100%.  It took me a while to filter through everything, but now everything I read or listen to from these sources, I take at face value.

[PlaidJacket]

GoGolf... which publications do you think are worthy? Like you I don't GARA about most of the standard everyday golf rags. Although not instructional... I like Golf Weekly.

[Gogolf]

I still check out the major publications to stay up-to-date with industry news - I just don't venture into the instruction section. I check out: amateurgolf.com, golfweek, golf.com, etc. These publications are great because there's no way I would be able to scour the net for the latest news (who won, what was released, etc.), and everything is centralized on these pages.

 

But I think you're getting at, which golf instruction source do I rely on for golf instruction.. and for me, I just rely on my coach for help. Where I was getting at in my previous post is, I was paying hundreds of dollars per month for lessons and sometimes I would 'try out' what I was reading in the golf news/publications because it was what a top PGA pro is doing. After I caught myself doing this, I was like.. it's time just to dedicate myself to what I'm paying money for.

 

Maybe others had this realization too?

 

MGS is falls into the trusted category for me. I've blind bought so many things just because of this site and all have been excellent purchases. From things like:

- TM Indy putter (previous blade putter of the year)

- Voice Caddie SC 200

- GPS watch

[dadivots]

True Enough.

All the mags and shows tend to ramp up on the latest trend and tell you how to do it. Take away is always a constant and the rest goes round and round with down on the ball, full follow through, etc for years. Lately it has been ground up, throw your hips, to LAG MORE with shoulder turn a focus more for all the distance that is a must now a days. No doubt it will go round and round again as time goes on. Its true there are some good sources online. Something that is afoot is more of the old school stuff; the hand and arm swing techniques. It is no mystery when Stenson, Day, Rory, and others are wrecks from the swings they have mastered today. If anyone of today can play like Jack did in his 40'S it wil be a surprise.

I for one was able to watch the pro's on my range when I was an assistant super. Hours spent just sitting in my cart watching.

Freddy was a regular and there is nothing better than watching a good stick practice. Watching them down to the gnats... ball position and the rest. Even a good stick at your range is a big +, and many of them wont care if you do watch if you ask them if its ok. Sure a good Pro is a must tune up. But a have known more than a handful of pro's that can tell what your doing wrong, just as any good player can, but for some reason cant get you to stop doing it any time soon. I told the Class A Pro who was at the same club then what I was doing wrong per the latest mag/tv show. He told me 'THEN STOP DOING IT' with this piece of serious advice "1000 balls with the wrong basics is a 1000 mistakes". The Golf Channel and the rest went away soon after that.

[tony@CIC]

Different strokes for different folks I guess! I'm a visual learner and while I have taken instruction from a PGA professional for the past several years I've found a golf instruction site that reinforces what he has been advising me to do.

 

However I would agree there are too many sites and two many miracle clubs that promise to deliver fantastic results. Finding the right one is probably a lot more challenging than finding the right fitter or right instructor.

 

 

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[MDGolfHacker]

I know this has probably been brought up before but, does anybody else feel like we are being given way too much advice. TV, email, YouTube, etc. Strong grip, no neutral grip, feet pointing at 11 and 1, no 10 & 2 for seniors, closed stance for distance no, straight stance just roll the forearms, point clubface to right for a draw no, aim left and keep clubface square and on and on. Don't forget the special you get for these lessons, not $79.95, it's been reduced to $39.95. I took 3 lessons from a University of Maryland golf coach for the basics when I took up golf some 30+ years ago. The rest I taught myself but, at that time it was pretty standard. If you've read this whole thing let me know how you feel. Thanks and Happy New Year to MGS and all the members out there.

*shrug*... I just hug my big flat screen TV while it's on the golf channel and absorb the golf swing through osmosis...

 

Agree with most posters, while I read every article on the golf swing and watch the shows on how to fix swing flaws on TGC, I need a second set of Professional eyes to route out my issues. I also have a good friend of mine that's on this board to take a look as well.

 

MDGolfHacker

[dadivots]

"I need a second set of Professional eyes to route out my issues. I also have a good friend of mine that's on this board to take a look as well.

MDGolfHacker"

 

SOOOOOO True.

It is amazing what someone can do who has the knowledge to help you who can, or is willing to, watch your swing with his "Good Eyes".

Not for a ball or 3 but through a practice session or especially a round where some pressure is on the next swing and the quircks or old habits set in. 

 

A well meaning friend or fellow telling you 'you took it to far inside' or whatever is usually a quick trip down a crooked road....

[ole gray]

"I need a second set of Professional eyes to route out my issues. I also have a good friend of mine that's on this board to take a look as well.

 

MDGolfHacker"

 

SOOOOOO True.

It is amazing what someone can do who has the knowledge to help you who can, or is willing to, watch your swing with his "Good Eyes".

Not for a ball or 3 but through a practice session or especially a round where some pressure is on the next swing and the quircks or old habits set in. 

 

A well meaning friend or fellow telling you 'you took it to far inside' or whatever is usually a quick trip down a crooked road....

 

This ^^^^^^^ 

 

I wish I had a Ben Franklin for every friend who has told me, "I take it too far inside".  Hell I would be sitting my ole arse on the big island sucking down a cold one.....   I've had lessons from seven or more (I forget  ) PGA Class A instructors who ALL have said my worst tendency is (guess what?  ),,,,,,,  to swing too flat.  Soooooooo by now I got it figured out that I all too often do what?????   Swing to EFFING flat!!!   Now the next one of the SOB's who tells me I'm swinging too flat is not gonna be in a good place.  He/She is gonna think I've been on the rag for a couple of weeks with no hope of coming off. 

 

The thing is I know all the drills to fix a flat swing plane.  I have spent hours at the range and at home working on drills to correct my swing plane.  All is well until I get on the course and my brain starts kicking into over think mode.  The shat hit's the fan and I have the same amount of luck as a fat rabbit in a skinny fox den   for swinging on plane.

 

I've been playing golf for 43 years now.   I may have hit a slice at the beginning however after a year or so of playing it was all right to left shots.  I was taught back then to flatten my plane and go after the ball from the inside.  The problem came from going too flat and it's been a struggle ever since.  

 

Sooooo don't frigging tell me I'm swinging too flat.  I think by now I have an idea when the club face is facing the sky it's near impossible to square it up at the ball. 

 

Rant over

[cksurfdude]

(.. lotta stuff snipped ..)

 

Rant over

 

Ha, yeah your post does fit better in the "Rant" thread... ;-)

 

But, more importantly, wish there were a magic wand we could mix our two swing planes together and come out with two good, on-plane swings....

 

I have a tendency to get too steep and then pull across the ball and make it turn too far to the right. But yes I did get instruction for that from a very qualified coach!